1.0 Introduction
The purpose of this report is to study the underground water system in Western Australia and make recommendation to the Minister of the Environment and Water Resource. This report include the source and storage, extraction and the effect of underground water to the environment, types of common contamination in underground water and method to prevent the contamination.
Groundwater is the one of the fundamental source of water in Western Australian environment which fresh water collected at various depth below the ground surface. In Australia about 21% of the water used is derived from groundwater sources. There is considerable variation in groundwater usage between states and territories. For many areas it is either the main or the only reliable water source supporting communities and economic activity (Australian Bureau of Rural Science, 2007). Major developments and water resource demands across Australia, mainly on new resource discoveries and mining operations of iron ore mining in Western Australia is one of the main contributor (National Water Commission, 2012)....
Water is the most relied upon resource on earth and if it disappeared life could not and would not exist on this planet. So if one of our main sources of water in South Australia, The Murray Darling-Basin, becomes unusable then we would need to find the problem and do everything possible to stop it or counteract it. This report investigates on salinity in the Murray Darling-Basin, using the issue question “Is there enough being done to counteract the effects of salinity in the Murray?” as the focus. Salinity is a key significant environmental challenge which the Murray faces and if left unmanaged it could cause serious implications for water quality, plant growth, biodiversity, land productivity, infrastructure and could lead to a loss of a water source that’s critical to human needs. In this investigation five different aspects of this salinity issue are presented and these aspects include what Salinity is and how it has become an issue, what the effects are, how salinity affects the rest of Australia, what can be done and is anyone doing anything and finally what the visions are for the future of the Murray and its salinity levels.
The water that supplies Western Australia comes from a variety of sources, including surface water and groundwater. Recent technologies have emerged which allow WA to use water sources that were previously unusable, such as desalinated ocean water and recycled wastewater (Government of Western Australia, 2012). The scale for this report is the state of Western Australia. This scale will allow for analysis of more elements of water consumption in Perth and its surrounding areas, not just the city’s consumption of water, but consumption from other key industries that fuel the economy of Perth and WA, including mining and agriculture.
Decreasing rainfall and exterior reservoir recharge since the mid-1970s in Western Australia have been related to fluctuations in atmospheric circulation that are constant with what would be predictable in an atmosphere subjective by rising greenhouse gas intensities. The Water Corporation of Western Australia is focusing the lessening surface water resource by setting out to distribute a ‘climate-independent’ reserve of water for domestic
In this section I will discuss the Sydney metropolitan water system and current situation of Sydney water system and its security towards supply and comparison to the old system.
The Ogallala Aquifer is the largest known aquifer through Great Plains. If spread across the US the Ogallala would cover all 50 states with 1.5 feet of water. If drained, it would take more than 6,000 years to refill naturally. More than 90 percent of the water pumped is used to irrigate crops. $20 billion a year in food and fiber depend on the aquifer. The Ogallala is challenged with how to manage human demands on the layer of water that sprawls underneath parts of either states from South Dakota to Texas. Landowners face a tug-of-war between economic growth and declining natural resources while they strive to conserve what’s left.
Mexico is the country where water is the serious problem and it is still deteriorating (UNESCO, 2006). In the last two decades, as the population of the country has been growing intensively, the demand for water has also dramatically increased. The number of people who suffer from water shortage is about 11 million; almost 11% of Mexico’s total population (Castro and Heller, 2009). There are lots of problems connected with water shortage. One of the main problems is that in the situation with water scarcity the government decided to pump water from aquifers. For example, Mexico City is provided with water by six aquifers (UNESCO, 2006). The consequences of pumping groundwater resources are quite negative: aquifers are overexploited and they are drying, and ground is sinking for 40 cm every year (UNESCO, 2006). It is obvious that water shortage is a serious problem and effective measures must be taken in order to prevent water crisis.
Planning Commission, 2007. Report of expert group: Groundwater Management and Ownership, New Delhi: Government of India.
40% of tap water is wasted due to leaky old pipes, fraud and illegal access. The government is working to fix the problems, which have been compounded by recent events of 2 dams at the iron ore mine cutting drinking water completely and contaminating water ways down stream with a toxic orange sediment that environmentalists fear could destroy the eco system long term
Groundwater basins : represent groundwater basins of the most important sources of water in the Sultanate water needs of the availability of safe drinking water .
Grasping the causal analysis of the overuse of India’s aquifers and lack of efficient irrigation will aid in the prevention of the almost certain depletion of water for future generations to come. To understand why farmers overuse the already crippled groundwater resources in India, studies are conducted on a global scale to learn the factors in the agricultural industry in India.
State of NSW & Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water NSW 2010, State of NSW & DECCW, Sydney.
Mount Lofty Range watershed is 1,640 km2 of open land that is surrounded by agriculture and is home to an estimated 50,000 residents. Mount Lofty Range watershed is one of many water resources that provide Adelaide of approximately 60% to 90% of water which is being used by private owned lands and for human activities. With the amount of users that are being provided by Mount Lofty Range watershed, there are issues involving the water quality and pollutants. In this Investigation the issue that will be discussed on Mount Lofty Ranges watershed water quality, as there also will be two perspectives of how the Mount Lofty Ranges watershed water quality can be improved for the present and future users.
Due to its extraordinarily high quality and availability, we take groundwater as an advantage and now we experience groundwater management problems all over the world. Ground water contributes worldwide about twenty percent of people’s fresh water (Kinzelbach, Bauer, Siegfried, and Brunner). Groundwater is considered the most suitable for drinking, but we didn’t realize that over pumping ground water could be vulnerable to degradation, which leads to drying wetlands, deterioration in water quality, and increasing salinization. As groundwater cannot be renewed artificially on a large scale, sustainable management of this resource is vital (Kinzelbach, et al.). For groundwater to recharge itself, it would depend on precipitation because it is the main source for creating ground water and it is something out of our control. We experience groundwater depletion due to excessive pumping of an aquifer and this results in degradation of water quality, impacting natural wetlands, and affecting drinking water from contamination, in order to recharge groundwater, we would need to understand what would be impacted, scientific tools to help assist in groundwater sustainability management, and different techniques that we could use to artificially recharge groundwater.
Groundwater-Smith, S., Ewing, R., & Le Cornu, R. (2007). Teaching challenges & dilemmas (3rd .ed). South Melbourne: Thompson.
Groundwater plays a crucial role in terms of providing potable water to the world. A Water Level Sensor is the best method to monitor underground water levels. Why should we measure? Well, groundwater is the one that we are left with when other natural water sources such as rivers and lakes dry up when rain isn't present. In fact, groundwater level also can be reduced when rain isn't present for a long time. Rainwater filters through several sand layers until it gets settled in the waterbed beneath the earth's surface. The depth of the groundwater bed can vary depending on the geometrical